


Settled

by adiwriting



Series: Heartbeat [4]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Kid Fic, M/M, Mpreg, sanders being a grumpy but happy grandpa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:41:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29704221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adiwriting/pseuds/adiwriting
Summary: After Michael and Alex hook up at the reunion and Alex walks away again, Michael tries to pull himself back together, if for no other reason than his daughter needs him to.
Relationships: Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Series: Heartbeat [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2178315
Comments: 32
Kudos: 100





	Settled

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ALovelyLitwit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ALovelyLitwit/gifts).



> Brooke's birthday week full of fic continues! This time with some more Nova Mae... Hopefully this helps break up the Malex angst some, even though it is still a bit sad.

Michael parks next to Sanders’ truck and takes a minute to look at himself in the rear view mirror. He quickly wipes his eyes, and looks himself over. He doesn’t look great but he could look worse. He takes several deep breaths before heading inside. It’s nearly eleven and Nova should be asleep, but on the off chance Sanders gave her soda again and she’s bouncing off the walls, he doesn’t want her to see him like this. She’s overly sensitive to the emotions of others and he doesn’t want to worry her. 

He’s pissed and hurt, but it’s nothing he won’t push through. After all, he’s used to having his heart crushed. 

He uses his powers to unlock the front door and steps inside, his eyes instantly falling to the dog bed where Nova Mae is passed out with Sanders’ old pitbull, Tank, on top of her. She’s got her thumb in her mouth and Laika hugged tightly to her chest. The amount of dog slobber covering Laika is disgusting and Michael mentally prepares himself for the battle that will ensue when he tells Nova that Laika has to take a bath tomorrow and will be out of commission for a few hours. 

The sight of his daughter grounds him, settling every nerve and calming every wild emotion. It helps focus his world back on Nova and away from the electrical storm that seeing Alex had been. Nova Mae is all he truly needs in his life. All of his fantasies are just that… fantasies. He tiptoes over to the bed and leans over to brush some wild curls off of her face and kiss her forehead. She doesn’t move a muscle, so Sanders must have really worn her out. 

He hears puttering around the kitchen and realizes that Sanders is still awake and goes to investigate. 

“You made her sleep in the dog bed?” he asks, leaning against the doorway. “You know she’s a person not a pet right?” 

Sanders snorts. “You think anyone can make any kid of yours do anything? That’s where the rugrat wanted to sleep and arguing with her is like arguing with the sun.” 

Sanders isn’t wrong. Nova is incredibly stubborn, much like Alex in that way. And Michael is the only one that’s willing to stand up to her and tell her no. The rest of them are giant pushovers. Not that Michael truly minds that much, as much as he grumbles. Having never had anyone cater to a single need of his own growing up, he’s glad that Nova is loved enough to be spoiled by the adults in her life. 

Sanders finishes pouring himself a cup of coffee and pushes past Michael to sit at the small table he’s got and Michael follows suit. 

“Your kid wants a dog,” Sanders tells him. As if Michael doesn’t already know as much. Nova has never met an animal she didn’t want to take home immediately. Their apartment would be a zoo if Nova had her way. 

“She also wants five ponies, a talking raccoon, and a rocket ship,” he says. “You gonna buy those things for her?” 

“No, but you could’ve,” Sanders says. “Only took you in because I thought that genius brain of yours would make money and take care of me in my old age. Look at me. 87 and still working.” 

“Sorry to ruin your beach house retirement plans, Old Man,” Michael says with a roll of his eyes and a laugh. He knows exactly why Sanders took him in back in high school, even if Sanders isn’t one to get sentimental. 

“And for what?” he continues to tease. “To educate the delinquent youth around here? Could’ve worked for NASA or something.” 

“If only I hadn’t went got myself knocked up,” Michael says with a shrug and a click of his tongue, shaking his head in playful disappointment. Both of them know that Nova Mae is the best thing that ever happened to him and the only reason he’s even close to having his shit together. Just like they know Nova Mae is one of the best things to ever happen to Sanders. 

“Now I gotta wait for the rugrat to grow up before I can retire in peace,” Sanders says. 

“You gonna make it that far, Grandpa?” 

“I will if you use that brain of yours to share your gifts with me,” he says. “Gotta be some kind of benefit to keeping you around all these years.” 

“I thought the benefit was the pleasure of my company,” Michael says. 

Sanders laughs. “Your company?” he gives him a doubtful look. 

“I’m the best company you’ve ever had,” Michael argues. “Nobody else will put up with your grumpy ass.” 

Sanders rolls his eyes and finishes the last of his coffee before standing up. “You taking her home or staying here?” 

Michael looks back at Nova, who hasn’t moved a muscle and is snoring softly. If he wakes her up to go home, she’ll be a terror. “Staying here.” 

Sanders nods. “You know where the couch is.” 

Sanders goes into the back where his bedroom is and Michael makes his way over to the couch. He lays down and pulls out his phone. Despite knowing better, he opens up his browser and pulls up Facebook. He doesn’t have an account, never had much interest in one, but that’s not what he’s doing. He searches for Alex’s name and clicks on the profile. It’s private, but that doesn’t stop him from being able to see the profile picture and staring at it, completely pathetic. 

Alex is smiling in it. Laughing. His whole face is lit up. Michael’s finger reaches out to touch the screen, trying to remember the moments tonight when things had been good. He still doesn’t understand how it went so poorly so quickly. But then again, he never does. One minute they are all soft touches in a post-orgasm haze, and the next they are arguing. Every time. 

“You saw him, huh?” Sanders asks. 

Michael looks up in surprise. He hadn’t even heard him come back in. He’s in his pajamas now and there’s a bit of toothpaste stuck in his scruff. 

Michael doesn’t answer. He doesn’t want to talk about it. 

“Listen, I ain’t never shared no kid with anybody, so I can’t tell you what to feel,” Sanders says. “But going after Alex Manes isn’t good for you. And it ain’t good for her.” 

“What?” Michael sits up. He’s never told Sanders about Alex before. “Why? How?” he asks every question at once, unable to settle on a single one. 

“I’m blind, kid. I ain’t stupid,” he says before walking away saying, “Over-easy.” 

“What?” 

“My eggs in the morning? I want them over-easy,” he says. “You were planning on cooking me breakfast as a thank you for watching your kid so you could get laid, were you not?” 

“How do you even—?” he asks, looking down at himself, confused, trying to figure out what part of him says he got laid. 

“Night,” Sanders says, not giving him an answer. 

Michael rolls his eyes. “Night. 

He turns off the light with his powers and lays there, staring up at the ceiling, willing sleep to come. His mind is racing though. It’s all too loud, thoughts coming and going too quickly, pure chaos. He closes his eyes tightly and bites his lips as he feels himself about to cry. He doesn’t understand. He replays the encounter over and over, trying to figure out what he could have done to make him stay. 

The age old question. Ten years and he’s never had an answer for it. 

There’s a jingling of metal from Tank’s collar, then a small pitter patter of two distinct parties. And the next thing Michael knows, Tank is jumping onto the couch at his feet and Nova is pulling on his chest trying to climb up. 

“Hey Princess,” he says, reaching out to help her up. 

She immediately lays down on him, resting her head on his shoulder as her hand finds its way to his heart. 

“Daddy fad?” she asks him, voice full of concern. 

“Daddy’s fine,” he assures her, his hands wrapping her up in a hug and pulling her close. 

Her hand moves up to his face and wipes away a stray tear and Michael silently starts cursing himself for letting her see him like this. 

“Daddy fad,” she says again. Her little lips give him a kiss on the cheek. “It’ betah?” 

He makes a point to look her in the eyes and smiles. “Completely better.” 

And while it might not be entirely truthful, with Nova in his arms, he doesn’t feel nearly as alone. “Go back to bed, Baby.” 

She lays her head down on his shoulder again, her hair tickling his neck and her hand rests against his heart. A few minutes later, her breathing evens out and she’s sleeping once more. And before too long his heart starts to settle. It grows lighter, his sadness drifting away from him. And when he looks down, Nova’s little hand is glowing red. 

Michael closes his eyes and though his mind has guilty thoughts running through it, his body can’t feel the physical impact of it. Nova has lulled his body into a calm state.

It’s not okay. His four year old shouldn’t have to use her powers just so that he can be okay. She shouldn’t have to worry about him or take care of him in any way. 

Michael has to get his shit back in order. And if he’s being honest with himself, he’s not going to be able to do that until he sets things straight with Alex. At least helps Alex understand that Michael wasn’t cheating on anyone when he came to him tonight. That everything Michael was feeling was real and genuine. And if Alex still doesn’t want him after that, then Michael will deal with that. But at least there won’t be some silly, stupid miscommunication between them. 


End file.
